States oppose Alabama’s effort exclude migrants in Census

Published 11:57 am Wednesday, August 14, 2019

By Associated Press

This March 23, 2018, photo shows an envelope containing a 2018 census letter mailed to a U.S. resident as part of the nation's only test run of the 2020 Census.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Sixteen states and several major cities are opposing a lawsuit by the state of Alabama that would have the U.S. Census count only U.S. citizens and legal residents.

New York, California and 14 other states have asked to intervene against Alabama’s lawsuit.

The cities and states argued in a Monday court filing that the Constitution requires an actual enumeration of the population, which means all people regardless of their citizenship or legal status. The Census count is used to determine congressional representation and dole out federal funds.

Alabama sued last year, arguing that the U.S. Commerce Department’s longstanding practice of including all U.S. residents regardless of immigration status unfairly shifts power to states with more undocumented immigrants.

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